5 Things You Should Know When Graduating Cosmetology School

Are you about to graduate cosmetology school, or maybe you already graduated and you're still new to this incredible industry? This is for you!

I remember when I graduated I felt confused. I didn't feel confident or knew much of what my career path was "supposed" to look like. I didn't have any mentors, or role models, and Instagram was brand new so I didn't know of any hairstylist content creators yet. I was basically just figuring life out one day at a time. I went to a vocational high school so I was only 17 with my cosmetology license, I didn't know anyone who was a hairstylist, and everyone else my age went to college so I felt alone and unsure of this career decision that I made.

Now that I'm 11 years experienced and a salon owner I want to pass some advice to you who may be feeling the way I felt.

Here are some things I wish I knew when I graduated cosmetology school:

1. Clients won't magically appear in the salon for you. This is by far the toughest hurdle I feel that most stylists have to learn and overcome. Building a clientele doesn't happen as fast as you may think or want it to. It can be VERY discouraging after going to school for $XX,XXX, having a STATE license, and then you have very few people to show your skillset on. Many people quit being a hairstylist because they don't have enough clients to earn a good living. I know I wanted to. I felt like I was a failure. I promise you are not a failure and you will have a clientele. It just takes consistency, practice, and not giving up. Show up every day excited and it will happen!

2. Shadow as many salons as you can. It's ok if you don't work at your dream salon right after school. Most people don't land their dream job when graduating college either so don't feel like you have to work at the perfect salon just yet. I think it's important to get a salon job as soon as you can whether it's your dream salon or not so that you can gain experience and add experience to your resume. You'll learn something either way you look at it. If you hate it and it was toxic then you learned that you don't want to work somewhere like that ever again. If it's just ok then you will probably learn the basic ins and outs of the industry that will prep you for your next salon job. While you work in another salon you're allowed to shadow other salons too if you don't love where you work. That may be controversial but I said it anyway. The more you shadow the more you learn where you want to work and grow your career.

3. Network, network, network! This piggybacks off of number 2. The more you shadow, the more stylists you'll meet. Some will be friendly and some won't. That's ok. Gravitate to your people. The more stylists you know the more the industry levels up because being friendly with our fellow local stylists is more fun than being competitive. This is how we learn from others and grow. They say life is all about "who you know" and that's true in our industry as well. I also encourage you to network outside of your area and find stylists online who may be similar to you. You might not find anyone in your area who is similar to you so networking online is great too! I met so many hair friends just on Instagram, we support each other and share advice. It feels good having a community that is uplifting.

4. Take as many classes as you can. I know that you may be thinking "Girl I just spent so much time and money in school and now you're telling me to learn more and potentially pay for it?!" Yes, I am (hehe). Find something that fits in your current budget. There's so much free education out there too. When I first started there wasn't much free education yet. Utilize the tools we have now. Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok, and even some in-person education can be free. One of my goals is providing low-cost education to stylists because I feel like we should all have access to continuing education. The more you know, the more tools you add to your toolbox (your brain).

5. You're going to mess up. A LOT. Yup, and it's gonna suck. You will probably cry a lot and want to quit. (I'm smiling while I write this because I'm having flash backs!) There's a really good chance you will not be the best stylist when you are first starting out. "The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried". I know, cheesy quote. It's true though! I'm a perfectionist so this was a really hard pill for me to swallow when I first started. I never wanted to be the stylist at the salon who messed up clients' hair. Unfortunately, that was me. For a while, too. I hate to tell you this but the more you mess up the more you learn. The more consistently you show up with excitement it will radiate off you and you will start to become a master at your craft.

6. BONUS! Practice on a mannequin during your downtime. You thought you were done with mannequins after school? NOPE, sorry. Practice, practice, practice. Eat, sleep, and breathe hair. At work and have downtime? Pull out a mannequin. Show your boss and clients in the salon that you are so dedicated to your craft that you can't get enough, even if it isn't on a human. I was the stylist that worked on mannequins for hours while at the salon with no clients on my book. That's actually how I started to build my clientele. Their regular stylist was sick? The client would say to the receptionist "Can I book with the young girl who's always practicing?" Yup, it's true. They told their friends "there's a new girl at my salon she's always doing something cool when I'm there, you should go to her." Don't be embarrassed to work on a mannequin. Be proud.

Be courageous my friend.

If you have any questions I'd love to chat more with you! Comment below, email, or follow on socials.

XO

The Courageous Stylist